


Walk With Me

by Nyama



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29830803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyama/pseuds/Nyama
Summary: Lin had a plan. This was not it.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 11
Kudos: 75





	Walk With Me

Lin opened the window in her office, and took a deep breath of clean, spring air. The breeze off the harbor smelled of salt and fish and smoke, but it lifted the air in the room where she had been all night. She had promised Captain Han’s wife that he could have this week’s night shifts off expressly to get up with the baby and let the new mother have just a little more sleep. Sleep deprivation was a burden to be shared.

Except, of course, in her own home. She had made sure to discuss the idea with Kya before she made that promise, and Kya’s sympathies were completely with the new, exhausted mom. So Kya got plenty of sleep overnight, in an empty bed. Lin crashed for a few hours in the afternoons until Kya came home for dinner before Lin returned to the station for the night.

As the sun began to glint off of the taller buildings, she looked down into the morning shadows on the streets. Lin loved to watch the city begin to wake. A few overnight workers clawing their way home, a few delivery drivers moving about on their rounds. By the time the food vendors began setting up for the breakfast rush, she began to realize just how tired she was.

And then, just a block away, a single figure in blue came into view, heading toward the building where Lin stood, watching over her city. She wondered why one lone person attracted her attention from so far away, so she watched until the person disappeared right under the municipal building, and did not reappear further up the street. She stretched, grimacing at the noise her armor made. Clearly, she needed to spend some time this weekend cleaning and polishing it.

Her stomach rumbled, and she decided to step out and take a special breakfast to Kya before she headed off to work.

Which is when the door to her office opened.

“Mako, it’s too early. You shouldn’t be here yet.”

“If you don’t want me here, I could just leave again.”

Lin whipped around to find Kya holding steaming coffees and a bag that somehow looked warm from across the room. She smiled.

“You beat me to the punch, Beautiful.” Lin crossed the room to welcome Kya inside. She was very interested in the aromatic contents of the heavy bag.

“And what do I win for that achievement?”

Lin closed the door quietly, set the food down on her desk, and pulled Kya close. She took a deep breath, smelling that fresh, spring breeze that lingered around her favorite person. She inclined her head. Kya thought she could see the decision crystalize behind Lin’s eyes.

“You getting up this early? You get to see me do something you’d never imagine. After we eat.”

“Oooh, I’m intrigued. Should I start guessing?” Kya picked up the bag and moved to the couch at the end of the room. 

Lin grinned. “Sure. You just try.” She grabbed the coffees and sat beside Kya. 

“Lin Beifong apologizes to Saikhan for beating him at pai sho in his own home.” “Nope.”

“Lin tells a trainee she did a good job.” “Not happening.”

“Lin… Lin… Hmm.” Kya looked up to the ceiling and tapped a finger against her lips. “What can’t I imagine you doing?”

She picked up her bun and held her coffee up against her cheek. “Lin lets me eat the last bun in the bag.”

“What last bun?” Lin turned the bag upside down to demonstrate its bun-less state.

“Damn. I knew I should have eaten one on the way.”

Lin went to her desk and rummaged in a side drawer, grabbed something and offered a brown, yet slightly grey length of... “Jerky?”

“Spirits, Lin! How old is that thing?”

Lin looked at it, sniffed it, and wrinkled her nose. “Too old, you’re right.” She dropped it in the trash can.

Kya narrowed her gaze at the uncharacteristically bright face behind the desk. She got up and sauntered closer. 

“Well, for starters, I really never imagined you smiling in your office. I sure hope that’s not all I’ve won.” 

Lin let her face fall into its normally neutral-to-grouchy state. “What smile?”

Kya snorted and settled back in Lin’s desk chair. “It’s almost like you’re stalling.”

She saw Lin’s eyes find the clock hanging over the door, and watched Lin straighten up. “You have a meeting, don’t you?” Lin could hear the resignation and disappointment in her voice.

Lin walked around her desk, collected and discarded the trash. She stepped quietly in front of Kya, and extended her left hand for Kya to take.

Kya took her hand, and stood, then lifted her left hand to Lin’s face, and rubbed her thumb across Lin’s lips. “I’m glad I could catch you before you got busy.”

“I still have a little time. Walk with me?”

Lin pulled the door open, and took a small step back to let Kya walk through, still holding her hand. Kya loosened her grip, expecting Lin to drop her hand like always. But, if anything, Lin held her just a little tighter. She used her other hand to close and lock her office. Kya folded her fingers around Lin’s hand. There, between Lin’s thumb and palm, Kya could feel her pulse increase just a little.

Hand in hand, they walked across the entire floor of officers toward the stairs. Kya felt like she was walking on eggshells. Nothing was very different - the officers milled about, talking like always. The ones they walked nearest suddenly were very interested in the papers on their desks. She didn’t see anyone stare at them, or even flinch like they’d gotten caught looking.

At the door to the hallway, Kya relaxed her grip, expecting a goodbye, but again, Lin just held on and used her other hand to open the door. She let Kya through, and closed the door behind them. They crossed the hall to the staircase door, and Kya asked, “Are you seeing me out today?”

“I don’t get to see you enough. I thought it would be nice to stay with you a little bit longer.”

Kya smiled at her, intrigued by the twinkle in her eyes. Lin? Twinkling eyes? When had that happened before?

They reached the third floor and Kya was surprised again when Lin opened the door from the landing. Kya had no idea what was on the third floor, and Lin had gotten the door open before she could read the signs. She raised an eyebrow as Lin stepped through, leading the way down the hall. Kya was completely lost. There were many employees moving about on their business, and there were the beginnings of lines in front of windows that read things like “Fees and Fines” and “Courtroom Registration.”

“Lin, are you taking me to court for something? Did I make you mad?” Lin just, well, it was hard to describe. It wasn’t really a smile, but it wasn’t a frown either. This was getting stranger by the minute.

A couple of officers were talking in a corner when one poked the other. They snapped to attention, “Chief!”

Lin stopped to speak to them, still holding Kya’s hand. She released Kya’s hand long enough to introduce the officers to her before they got back to waiting for their names to be called in the courtroom. Lin reached back over and took Kya’s hand again.

They came to the end of the long corridor to a door marked “Magistrates.” Kya was beginning to wish she’d paid better attention to Uncle Sokka’s lectures on city government. She had no idea why the two of them were in this part of the municipal building. No one was on this end of the hallway. Lin opened a door to one side that opened into a nearly empty office.

“Chief Beifong breaks into municipal offices? You’re right. I would never have imagined that.” Kya dipped her head to get a better look at Lin’s face, but Lin dropped her hand and turned around. She pulled her hands in front of her, where Kya couldn’t see them.

Kya stood still, waiting.

Lin covered her face with her hands, and said, “Kya, would you ever believe I would do something spontaneous?”

“If it involved putting yourself in harm’s way to save someone, yes.”

Lin took a very slow, deep breath. “I guess I have done that, haven’t I?” She dropped her hands back down, but still held them in front of herself.

“I can’t even count the number of times I know about, much less all the time I was gone.”

Kya saw Lin open the pouch at her belt and pull something out of it, before turning around. She was holding something between her two cupped hands. Her green eyes shone, almost as if she were holding back tears.

“I had a plan. I really did. This isn’t that plan. But when you came into my office this morning, I realized that I had seen you down on the street just below the building. And I thought about how you must have planned ahead. You had to get up, you had to have enough money, you had to get to that one stall we like, and you had to catch me before I left the building.”

“You make it sound like one of your triad raids.”

Lin smiled.

“So if you could be a little more like me, maybe I should try being a little more like you.”

Kya was baffled. She was standing in a place she had no idea existed, looking at and listening to a person she thought she knew.

And then Lin opened her hands to reveal a plain, gold ring. Kya reached for it, only to have Lin close her two hands around Kya’s one.

“I know how much your necklace means to you, and I could never ask you to stop wearing it, or change it for me. So I made this ring, which is what all the cool kids in the city are using these days.”

She took a deep breath, and looked up at Kya.

“Kya, will you marry me?”

Kya gasped. She grabbed Lin’s hands while trying to breathe and say “YES!” at the same time. 

She started to pull Lin’s hands toward her, only to feel her hands practically yanked off her wrists as Lin made for the door. Kya stumbled to keep up and crashed into Lin’s back when she stopped to look into the hallway like a skulking teenager.

Lin even whispered, “The coast is clear.”

Kya barked out a laugh. “Are you kidding me?” 

“SHH!”

Lin pulled Kya along behind her and entered the door marked “Magistrates.” They walked up to a waist-high counter where a young man looked up and took a breath…

“Marriage license. Now.”

“Yes, Chief. Just a moment.”

“We’re doing this now?”

“Why not? You said yes already. Or did you change your mind?”

“Change my mind? Lin, I’m just trying to keep up here. Are you sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything. And I don’t want to pig-chicken out, either.”

The young man returned with a piece of paper and a pen. 

“Chief, do you have some questions about the form? The couple getting married have to come in themselves.”

“That’s us. We’re getting married.”

“Oh, I see. Um, well, I’m sorry that our forms haven’t been updated yet. One of you will have to put your information in under ‘husband.’”

“That law was changed years ago! Why aren’t the forms updated?”

“Chief, you know what the print shop is like. We must have fifty boxes of these forms in the storeroom and no one wanted to waste them all. You can cross through it and write ‘wife’ or ‘partner’ if you want. It won’t invalidate the form.”

“I’ll be speaking to the Council about this you know.”

“I have no doubt, Chief. While you’re doing that, I’ll go get the magistrate on duty.”

He vanished into the back office while Lin and Kya started filling in the form. Names and birthdates. Parents’ names and birthplaces. Tax Registration Numbers.

“Do I even have one of those?” Kya scrunched up her face and wondered if this would all come crashing down over something like taxes.

“Just leave it blank. Wong will tell us if it’s a problem. They sure get their taxes from me.”

“Don’t we get some kind of exception? Founding families exemption? And who’s Wong?”

Lin just glared at her.

Kya leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek.

“Seriously. I had no idea there was something like that. You know how little I use money. I only just got my own bank account when I took the hospital job.”

Lin huffed and started tapping her foot. As if summoned, a dignified woman emerged from the door the clerk had used.

“Lin! How nice of you to drop by. My clerk mentioned something about a marriage license.”

“Hi, Ming. How are the kids?”

“Liu just went back to the university, and Shen starts high school next week. I’ll tell them you asked about them.”

“Tell Shen if he wants to hide out on teacher work days, he’s welcome to come up and say hello.”

Ming smiled warmly, and looked at Kya. “Hello, I’m Magistrate Ming. I’m not sure I’ve met you yet.”

“I’m Kya. I’m here with Lin.”

“Ming, we want to get married. Can you help us?”

“That is one of the reasons I’m here. I would love to help you. Who are your witnesses?”

Lin gulped. She didn’t think about that. “I guess it can’t be you, can it?” 

“No, but I will be here all day. I’m sure a couple of your friends could make it here pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, but then they’ll know.”

Ming just raised an eyebrow when Kya smacked Lin on the shoulder. 

From behind Lin and Kya came a soft voice. “We could be your witnesses if you’d like.”

Everyone turned to face the young woman who was holding hands with a sheepishly grinning young man. She nodded at him, and he said, “We came in right behind you, and heard you talking. We can be your witnesses if you don’t want to wait for your other friends.”

Lin looked questioningly at Kya, who shrugged and smiled. “I think that would be lovely. I’m Kya, and this is Lin. We’d be honored if you’d help us get married.”

The young man beamed at her, and said, “Would you do the same for us? We’re here to get married, too.”

Kya clapped her hands, and grabbed Lin’s hands. “Please?” Lin actually didn’t growl as she said, “Of course we can.”

Ming looked at the young couple. “Thank you for helping out. I'll make sure you both get copies of your licenses in a week or so.” 

Ming bent down behind the counter, and brought out a large, red tome. “Let’s see here. Marriage number 292 for the year. Which order do you want your names listed?”

Lin took Kya’s hands and said, “Kya and Lin Beifong.”

Ming smiled as she noticed the wide eyes on the younger couple in the back.

“And as witnesses, I need your names, too.”

“Hu Lei and Ma Wenli, Magistrate.” They bowed deeply. 

Ming made notes on the form, and reached under the counter. This time, she brought out a weathered scroll, tied with ribbons of blue, green, red, orange, and white.

“This is the scroll of the first one hundred marriages after the founding of Republic City. Notably, marriage number 94 was for a young couple named Aang and Katara. Maybe you’ve heard of them?”

Lei and Wenli held on to each other. Ming could see their eyes getting even bigger as they realized what they had stumbled across.

Kya was nearly shaking as she held Lin’s hands. She looked at her, and realized she could see her own reflection in Lin’s eyes. 

“Kya, daughter of Aang and Katara, do you swear to care for Lin, and to give yourself into her care? Do you promise to hold her trust sacred? Do you commit your life to Lin?”

“I do, I do, I do.” 

“Lin, daughter of Toph Beifong, do you swear to care for Kya, and to give yourself into her care? Do you promise to hold her trust sacred? Do you commit your life to Kya?”

“I do.”

“Do you have rings or other exchanges?”

Lin positively beamed as she pulled her ring over Kya’s finger. Kya was nearly in tears, having to breathe very carefully. 

“Give me just a minute. This was more spontaneous,” she glowered at Lin, “than it might look.”

Everyone else laughed. 

Lin just smiled, and rested her hand on Kya’s hip, waiting. It was her turn to gasp when she saw Kya’s hands reach up to remove her necklace. 

“Lin, I am giving this into your safekeeping. Not to wear, but for you to know you will always have my heart. I will find something that is for you to wear, now that I, ah, have time to plan.”

Kya opened the pouch at Lin’s waist where her new gold ring had been. She laid it gently inside, and clicked it shut. She took Lin’s hands, and looked at Ming. Lin let that one tear fall, feeling it cross her scars. 

“Having reviewed the application for marriage, finding no objections, and by the mutual consent of the witnesses Hu Lei and Ma Li, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss.”

Lin blinked repeatedly, until Kya lifted her chin for a soft kiss. “I love you, Lin.”

Off to one side, the magistrate and the young folks signed the license for the completed marriage, and then reviewed their own.

Ming cleared her throat. “Lin and Kya, could I get you to trade places with Lei and Wenli?” Quietly, she repeated the brief ceremony for couple number 293, who were just a little more excited than when they had started off their day. Lin and Kya signed their license, shook their hands, and waved as the other newlyweds retreated back to their lives.

Ming walked around the counter, and put her hand on Kya’s shoulder. “No one will ever believe them, you know. They’ll have the most unique marriage license in the city, and no one will believe them. It was very nice of you to share your day with them.”

Kya hugged Ming, and Lin shook her hand. “Thank you, Ming. We appreciate you taking your time. And please tell that poor clerk I wasn’t about to arrest him over that stupid form.”

Ming laughed. “Trust me, we get complaints almost every day. Sometimes, even from straight couples. But Feng was kidding about the ‘fifty’ boxes in storage. We only have two or three years’ worth.”

“Surely you can reprint them before then.”

“I’ve tried to get permission since they changed the law. Someone is being petty.”

“I’d love to pay for it myself, but I know that’s not realistic.”

“No, as official documents, it really does need to be at the city’s expense through established contracts. But it’s kind of you to consider.”

“I’ll just have to get Tenzin mad that his sister had to cross ‘husband’ off the page. Maybe he’ll overlook who was on the ‘wife’ line.”

Ming and Kya both laughed. “That might just do the trick. It will take a couple of days to finish the registration process, then you can work with the Personnel Department to get your file updated.”

Ming hugged them both again as they retreated back the way they had come. Out in the hallway, Kya pulled Lin back toward the office they’d hid in earlier.

“Lin, question.”

“Yes, dear?”

Kya glared at Lin, clearly put off her line of thinking.

“Please tell me you won’t be doing that for the rest of my life.”

“Doing what, dear?”

Kya smacked Lin’s shoulder again, then grunted at hitting her wife’s armor twice in an hour.

“None of that ‘yes dear’ business. And I’m not kidding either. I don’t like it, and I don’t want to joke about it.”

Lin blinked, and looked directly at her. “I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.”

“Thank you. I don’t really have some compelling reason, I just hate that ‘dear’ business. It’s not like I don’t call you ‘love.’ Or other things I can’t really say here.” She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows.

Lin blushed, and looked around to see who was paying attention to them. Which, of course, was no one whatsoever. “I understand. ‘Dear’ is off the list. Schweethaht.” She winked and wiggled her own eyebrows.

Kya leaned against the wall. “Lin Beifong. I didn’t know you even knew how to wink.”

“Guess I have some surprises left for you then.” Her smirk was much more practiced. “But you had a question before I distracted you.”

“Oh, never mind. I’ll ask when we get home later. It’s just about that personnel file Ming mentioned.”

“Oh, that. Sure, we an talk about it later. When do you want to tell your family? I did spring this on you.”

Kya poked Lin's nose. "That's _our_ family, Mrs. Lady Beifong. Tonight at dinner will be just fine. Everyone but Su and your mom will be there, though we should go call Izumi now or she’ll never forgive us.”

“Chief! There you are! We’ve been looking for you for an hour!”

A flustered recruit came charging up, skidded to a stop and saluted.

“We’re cops, not soldiers. I don’t need you saluting every time you see me.”

“Yes sir, ma’am, um. Chief.” He looked at Kya and winced. “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but Assistant Chief Saikhan sent me to find Chief and he got angry fifteen minutes ago.”

“You’re Zhang Yifau, right?”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Go tell AC Saikhan I’ll be there in five minutes and to meet me in my office.”

“Yes, Chief.” He bolted for the stairs.

Kya chuckled. “Didn’t want him to hear me say I’ll meet you at home?” She smiled, and twisted her new ring on her finger.

Lin smiled. “No, not just yet. I need to tell Saikhan, but no one else knows before the family does. We'll call Izumi when I get home. She'll forgive us for waking her up for this.”

Kya made an exaggerated effort to look around. She pushed down on Lin’s head to peer behind her before bending down to kiss her cheek. “Don’t be late. Or call, if it’s really necessary.”

Lin was clearly restraining herself from complaining about indignities, and resigned herself to kissing the back of Kya’s hand where that new ring sat. “I will do everything in my power to be home on time so we can head over for dinner. I love you.”

Kya smiled, and entered the stairway to leave the building while Lin climbed back up toward her professional domain.

\--------------

Despite Lin’s worries, the day passed quickly, and she was even able to call in a new night captain a little bit early. To hurry home just that much quicker, she hopped out her window, and used her cables to speed her above traffic. It might tire her out a bit more, but it was always worth the trouble.

She dropped down quietly on the balcony outside their kitchen, glad Kya wasn’t there to spook. Making a bit more noise than strictly necessary, she clomped into the kitchen and started to call out for her…

_Wife._

She froze in place, and her hand fluttered to her chest.

She was married. After all this time, she was married. And not to Tenzin and all of the expectations that were so important when they were young. She had married Kya. Kya had agreed to marry her, scars and warts and silences and mistakes and all.

Kya herself peeked around the corner. “Lin, love, are you ok? I didn’t hear you come in.”

Lin looked up, taken aback by the strength of her emotions. “You said yes.”

Kya smiled. “Yep, that’s right. I said yes, and you said yes, or well, ‘I do,’ and now it’s official. How do I look?”

Lin blinked, and realized she hadn’t even looked at the clothes Kya was wearing. Which is when she realized Kya wasn’t wearing one of her many blue dresses. Her dress was a bright emerald, accented in gold. 

Lin blinked again and said, “Are we trading clothes tonight?”

Kya laughed and said, “That’s right. I won’t make you wear a dress if you don’t want, but I would like to see you in blue tonight. It will be their first clue that something’s up.” She grinned mischievously. “Besides, I like it when your eyes contrast with your clothes. It’s part of why I like you in your uniform.” Lin had to think about breathing while she considered that maybe Kya liked looking at her as much as she liked looking at Kya.

“How about that blue turtleneck? I think there were a couple of spots on my neck you didn’t heal the other day.” She winked.

Kya gasped. “You did it again! Twice in one day? Spirits, Lin, are you trying to keep us here instead of going?” She stepped forward and gave Lin a kiss, and said, “Now go change. I’m going to be waiting by the door.”

Lin stepped away and made quick work of freshening up before returning to find Kya standing next to the door, humming quietly to herself. She stepped forward to take Kya’s hand and open the door. “Walk with me?”

Kya nearly floated across the city, still astonished at holding Lin's hand for more than a moment.

Soon enough, they stepped off the ferry onto the dock. It was one of Lin’s least favorite places on the island because she could not get a good sense of who was around. The water’s constant motion against the pier muddied her senses, and left her feeling exposed. 

As they walked to the end of the pier and hit dry land, she sighed with relief, only to stop and brace herself. Kya only had time to look at her before the entire child contingent of the island came pounding over the rise. 

“They’re here!” 

Rohan and Meelo led the charge, slamming up against Kya and Lin. Their sisters, then the not-teenagers-anymore came along and squashed everyone in a big group hug. The kids all backed up just enough to make a ring around the older women, with Ikki right in front of them. 

“Why are you wearing the wrong colors? Aunt Lin, I never see you wear anything but green and black. Is there a law that says you can only wear your nation’s colors, or did someone tell you you look good in green? Do you ever wear red? I bet you would look terrible in air nation colors. I think you’d look sick all the time, and that’s not true, so green is good. But I like that blue on you. Your eyes really shine, did you know? Aunt Kya likes looking at your eyes.”

Kya was almost doubled over laughing and she picked up the girl. She looked at Lin and said, “From the mouth of babes.”

Lin rolled her eyes and growled. “Dinner. Now.” She stomped through the opening left by Ikki, and the rest of the crowd started following - until Rohan and Meelo started racing back up to the temple on their air scooters.

Kya and Ikki were having a long conversation and fell back a little. Korra and the other big kids hustled back to the building to help in the kitchen, but Jinora fell into step with Lin and walked quietly.

“The blue does look nice on you, Aunt Lin. Ikki is really loud, but she is right sometimes.”

Lin huffed quietly, and said “Thank you, Jinora,” just loud enough for the girl to hear, and they finished the walk in silence. “Jinora, you go on ahead. I’m going to stand outside for just a minute.” Jinora nodded, and lightly touched Lin’s shoulder before walking on inside. Lin realized with a jolt how much taller she had gotten.

And then Kya was beside her. One deep breath, and she looked at her _wife_. “I may bend the earth, but you have moved my foundations, Kya. I will never again be someone that no one loves.”

Kya smiled sadly, and said, “Lin, you never were. I am so glad I’ve gotten better at showing you, and I’m glad that you’ve started accepting that. And I’m not the only one who loves you, or even who loved you when you felt unlovable. Come on. Let’s start this new chapter with our family. Walk with me.”

Kya took Lin’s hand, and they walked in together to family dinner for the first time.

And no one looked askance. No one gasped, or made a scene. No one asked any version of ‘what’s this?’ Korra kissed Asami. Tenzin kissed Pema. That’s when Ikki and Meelo made a scene, and everyone laughed. 

Even Lin.

\----------------

Some years later, Lin was helping go through Bumi’s things, and found a journal. She turned to those years, and found an entry she sat down and read.

 **KyaLin Pool**  
Elope before Lin turns 60: Korra and Asami (200), Senna (50), Zhu Li (100), Su (100)  
And disappear forever: me (100), Toph (slimy mushrooms), Su (100)  
And tell the family that day: Kya (300)  
And wait for the family to find out in the papers: Pema (100)  
Elope on Kya’s deathbed: me (50), Su (50)  
Fancy all RC-wedding, Bolin officiating: Bolin (100), Opal (100), Varrick (2), Su (25)  
ATI wedding, Tenzin invited: Tenzin (10), Su (5), Mako (50)  
ATI wedding, Tenzin excluded: Pema (50), Su (500)  
ATI wedding, Tenzin officiating:  
Ember Island wedding, no one invited: me (200), Su (100)  
Ember Island wedding, Izumi officiating, family invited: Izumi (100), Su (20)  
SWT wedding, Katara officiating, everyone invited: Katara (5), Su (20)  
SWT wedding, Katara officiating, no one invited: Korra (50), Tonraq (50), Su (5)  
Swamp wedding, Toph officiating: Toph (good mushrooms)  
Zaofu wedding, Su officiating: Su (500), Bataar (100)

“Told you so.”

Lin started, and found Kya had actually snuck up behind her. She looked at her _wife_ (she had never ever tired of that one word), with a bewildered expression. “Told me what?”

“You have always been loved. You see how the only bets are how we would be together, not whether it would happen or not?”

Lin blinked. That had not occurred to her. There were no entries for ‘Lin lets her get away’ or ‘Kya gets tired of Lin.’ All everyone could think about was where it would happen and whether they would be included. 

She tried to take a deep breath, but realized she was crying. “Kya. I’m sorry I was so blind. So self-centered. I gave up so much because I was afraid. I put you through so much. I’m so sorry.”

Kya knelt beside her, closed the journal, and set it aside. She took Lin’s hands.

“Eyes, love.”

Lin held as still as she could, and looked deep into Kya’s eyes.

“Life happened. But that’s our story. If things had happened differently, we’d have a different story. It wouldn't have been better or worse. Just different. This one is ours, and that makes it the most precious thing you’ve ever given me, except for your heart.”

Kya started to get up, and was very glad of Lin’s still very considerable strength as she wobbled.

“Let’s leave this for Tenzin and the kids to finish. The sunset here is beautiful, and I want some fresh air. Walk with me?”

Lin smiled, remembering that day she asked the same question, and walked with her _wife_.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by  
> https://lin-beifongs-desk.tumblr.com/post/644656001148125184/lin-im-having-a-child-mako-oh-wow


End file.
